Hair extensions are a wonderful and beautiful accessory, but they are not your ‘natural’ hair, so they do require some additional care at times to keep them looking as lush as your luscious hair. If no particular attention is given to your hair extensions, you may find at times they can and will become perhaps dry or matted, even dull or lifeless. Why? The extensions simply do not produce the natural oils that your own scalp produces that protect and condition, so at times, the extensions need this little boost. In a perfect world, the extensions would stay as soft as the day we purchased them, and maybe someday that might happen, but that day isn’t here just yet. So, until that day arrives, here are some ways to help with that struggle to keep those extensions looking beautiful and luscious as your own natural hair.

Trimming Your Extension

The secret to making hair soft is out, and it is down to a natural oil called sebum. Sebum is a semi-fluid secreted by the sebaceous gland and is attached to our hair follicles’. Sebum is brought to the skin surface and coats the hair shaft. What’s so great about a coating of sebum is that it keeps you growing locks hydrated and free from tangles. Our natural, growing hair is constantly being coated by this substance, to help give it a soft touch in between washes. As stated, your extensions don’t carry these natural oils and protectants, so you must provide this for your extension. It is recommended and consult with your stylist if you are unsure, but, since your volume or length extension is ‘made’ of human hair the extension itself can benefit from a small trim here and there to help ‘retain’ the quality as it can retain damage to the tips and break easily, just as your ‘natural’ hair will do. Yes, they will be slightly shorter, but they will be a lot healthier. Again, check with your stylist and have them assist you with this.

Nourishing Your Extension

After a nice trim, nourish your extension, deeply nourish your extension. Consult with your stylist about which of the many products to use as an agent for your extension, but all of them work on the fundamental principle. The extension should be thoroughly coated from the mid-section to the end of the driest part of the hair. Covering clip-in extensions in this way allows the hair to soak up 100% of the ingredients which usually will contain some combination of almond, coconut, and avocado oils. It is recommended by most that this is left in your extension to soak overnight, if you are on a tight schedule, you can leave in for a shorter time for an average of 60 minutes for the desired effect. The goal is the longer it is left in, of course, the more ‘nourished’ the extension will be, thus, more refreshed, and natural looking. Once done with the nourishing process, just follow up by washing your hair and your extensions both with your regular shampoo and conditioner until all the nourish product washes out, if you feel you need to clean and rinse again, then you will certainly not harm your hair or the extension by doing so. Doing this every few weeks will keep your extensions feeling softer, healthier, and much easier to manage not to mention looking fabulous as ever.